The Shapeless One
by Dice Golem
Summary: A sentient creature, hunted by almost everyone and everything he comes into contact with, tries to justify its existance as an outsider. He carves a name for himself in the blood of his enemies and in the loyalty of other outcasts.


The sunlight crept into dirty household and banished the last scrabbling remnants of the night life. Mice crept back into their secret havens within the walls and under the earth. The owl, now full from a nights hunting, went back to her favorite tree out back. The wolves final call had resounded across this valley long before, and the pack had traveled back to their pups awaiting them near the mountains. The morning dew shown like tiny diamonds sprinkled along the grass, as the sky began to fill with the colors of a new day.

I sighed. I couldn't help but marvel at nature's beauty each and every morning. She was the only person that didn't mock you for your oddities, stone you for your abilities, and run from your presence. The natural world didn't care what you were or where you came from. Its vibrant life worked completely independent of the civilized world, even while my kind raped the land and its creatures to survive. Yet the birds still chirped happily, the mice still foraged, and the predators' still hunt.

Footsteps could be heard outside, as my natural instincts kicked in and twitched my ears in their general direction. Coming right up to the front again, are they? They should have learned by now. They thought they could sneak up on me during the morning hours? That's a new improvement. I wonder what the bounty on my head is this time…

My thoughts were interrupted as the being outside stopped a little ways away from the front door. The drawing of swords from sheathes could be heard, as could the rustling of metal armor. After another moment, the footsteps came back again, although much slower and more silent than before. Considering the ineptitude of this, individual, I must assume he's a freelancer. The footsteps, yet again, stopped, but this time quite close to the door. A scent hit me from outside, and it wasn't pleasant. I could recognize that filthy smell and it had… perfumed… this one room dump.

I suppressed a snicker. I could only imagine the surprise and pure terror he must have felt when I came crashing through his only door, because he was out the open window as fast as a jackrabbit! I gracefully jumped down from my comfortable spot on the windowsill and shifted into a more humanoid form.

The door burst open, and in jumped none other than the same Half Orc I surprised the day before. Unfortunately, in his hands… was a club? Then where are the swords I heard? Not only that, but he wasn't in any armor whatsoever. Interesting.

The Half Orc tightened his grip on the thick branch in his hands and looked me right in the eyes. That look in his eye, customary to all Orckind, only reinforced my suspicions that I couldn't talk my way out of this situation. Unfortunately, I never really followed my civilized instincts.

I was standing in front of the window, facing the angry Half Orc. I always preferred feline forms to my infamous Gnome, but I needed a body that could make with the Common tongue. I could only smile at him, a big, white, toothy grin that made it seem like I knew something that everyone else didn't. What this flea ridden humanoid saw was a Gnome of short stature, with a bald head and a black, pointed goatee. I wore my standard grey traveling clothes, covered with the dust of the road, and I hoped the sunlight reflected off my emerald eyes and made them sparkle.

"Ah, the owner of this fine house has returned, yes?" I mockingly spoke in the common trade language, which all civilized races knew to one degree or another.

"Leave now or I'll skin the meat off your bones" he responded, gutturally.

"We seem to have had a misunderstanding! I could have sworn I knocked before entering…" I trailed off, scratching my goatee thoughtfully. This only enraged the beast further, inciting it into attack. The Half Orc threw itself at me with a powerful overhand swing of its club…

I expected as much. It is a Half Orc, after all.

After a sickening sound of rearranging internal organs and the popping of my skeleton rearranging itself, where the Gnome once stood appeared a battle scarred Ogre. With a quick twitch, I caught the club in mid-swing.

After a moment of staring at his weapon and the massive hand encompassing it, he slowly looked up with fear literally dripping from his skin in small, sweaty droplets. I was surprised the house could actually fit an Ogre, but I was to busy showing off my horribly kept and irregular smile. I could feel a little drool dribble down out of the corner of my mouth, but I didn't want to spoil the moment by acting all civilized again. His eyes wide, he quickly let go of his twig and sprinted for the door.

I reared up my arm to throw the club, but a sharp, painful jab at the base of my shoulder deserved more attention. Roaring with pain and dropping the club out of reflex I turned to face the new danger only to catch two slashes across the chest in a silver blur. My Ogre blood sprayed against the side of the open window, a dark, chunky red color. Glancing down, I saw the X shaped wounds bleeding freely down the front of my chest. Before my foe could strike again I pushed off against the window with all this bodies strength, sliding far out of any swords reach. The wall buckled under the sudden pressure, but held.

"I am here to show your soul the path to the lowest layer of the Abyss, demon!" spat a new, but all too familiar voice. Most hunters or assassins spout off some such line before they try to make their kill. It is quite unnatural and unnecessary, if you ask me, but I do enjoy badgering them if the opportunity presents itself.

"On the contrary," I spoke back, feigning politeness with the deep, feral voice of my Ogre form, "I'd rather not enjoy visiting _your_ afterlife." With this said, I tried to get a better look at my, would be, killer.

On the opposite side of the open window stood a human of good height and build, wielding two short swords and wearing a chain mail shirt over some brown hunting clothes. He looked just a day over thirty years, and his gruff stubble confirmed his occupation: ranger.

During this moment I stole to get to know my opponent, he took the stupid opportunity to hop in the house with me. I didn't know if Ogres could, but I swear I raised an eyebrow at this point. Both of us dropped into a low fighting stance, our respective weapons at the ready. And so our duel began, and ended.

Feinting quickly to the left, I charged him from the opposite direction and brought my balled fist squarely against his shoulder. I could feel the flesh and bones give way with a revolting crack. The short sword in his left hand slid from his grasp across the bare ground as this ranger screamed out in pain. With his good sword arm, he flailed at where my arm was not a moment before.

"How much did they promise to pay you? Am I still worth a hundred thousand silver pieces?" I taunted him, as he hissed in pain, drawing quick breaths. "Or, perhaps, the Emperor has noticed how close I'm coming to his home? Who sent you, human scum?"

At this, the human ranger flailed at me some more, but in his weakened state his blows were easily avoided. After his rabid onslaught, I noticed how deformed and obviously painful this mans shoulder really was.

The human spat out his words like a cobra would spit its venom, "I'm going to avenge my father, Lord…"

And, distracted as he was with his crushed shoulder and the words on his tongue, I took this opportunity to place a solid punch into his pompous belly, knocking both the wind and his next words out of him. As I removed my fist, he quickly doubled over and dropped his other sword more out of surprise than anything else. Clutching his stomach with both hands, and falling to one side, a gasping breath that could draw no air escaped his lips.

"You did three things wrong" I pointed out to him in a scholarly way, counting off my fingers as I went. "First, your weapons and armor make to much noise when you put them on just outside your preys lair. Second, you left your relatively safe position outside the window for a much more dangerous one inside with me. And, third, you hunted me down in the first place. Don't worry, though, you did one thing right." Using my great strength, I grabbed him off the floor and held him barely an inch in front of my face. "Do you know what you did right, boy?"

The ranger started shaking at this point, still gasping for breathe, and the smell of human urine became startlingly clear.

I smiled that evil Ogre smile of mine. "You left a survivor."


End file.
